Chapter 318: New life
Over the following weeks, things grew quieter.
The capital never attempted to contact them again, nor did it trouble the Count.
William naturally kept an eye on everything, knowing just how deceitful humans could be. Yet the King honoured his promise and never interfered with his family again.
There had been attempts to contact him and even search for him, but they came from other nations across the world.
The network of Great Halls spread throughout the continents quickly carried news of what had happened between Arthur and his comrades.
If the revelation of a General-ranked devil wasn’t enough, the fact that someone had utterly overwhelmed Arthur in battle certainly was.
Many powerful organizations, nations, and even the military state of the North, which commanded the largest standing army in the world, dispatched units to search for William.
However, no one could find a man who had chosen to step away from the world’s chaos, noise, and endless conflicts.
Now, he lived in a small village nestled at the foot of a towering mountain.
The village consisted of a little over fifty houses, its residents living almost entirely cut off from the outside world.
They cultivated their own food, drew water from the nearby stream, and remained content without relying on any form of outside entertainment.
William had taken his time searching for this place.
In fact, he had begun looking long ago, back when he first noticed his father attracting the attention of government officials.
He knew exactly what Emma liked.
A cool breeze.
Peace.
Isolation.
That was why he never rushed the search. He carefully looked until he found a place that felt remarkably similar to their previous settlement.
If there was one difference, it was that this village had a few more residents.
Still, that didn’t bother them.
People who lived in small settlements often became like an extended family. They looked after one another and tended to accept outsiders far more easily than those living in larger towns and cities.
Emma and William had managed to settle into life here without much difficulty.
And even if everything else had been different, the presence of a certain little munchkin had made the transition far easier for both of them.
...
"Ahaha!" Nana’s melodious laughter rang through the air as she chased after her big brother.
William ran just fast enough to keep her hopeful.
Yet every time she came close enough to touch him, he would slip away at the last second.
"Brother!" she called out.
Yes, she did.
Thanks to the gentle care and affection showered upon her, Nana had recently begun to speak. Not many words at a time, but enough for her family to be blessed by her sweet voice every now and then.
"Not happening, Nana. You can’t use your voice to make me stop," William said as he turned around and began running backwards, still comfortably beyond her reach.
Nana burst into even more laughter.
"Brother... Nana is sorry!" she called out, unable to hold it in whenever she looked at the masterpiece she and her sister had created that morning.
William’s once-pristine face now sported a thick moustache and dramatically curved eyebrows.
William let out a sigh and suddenly came to a stop.
Nana nearly bumped into him. No, she intentionally drove her head into his stomach and wrapped her little arms around him.
"Ehehe~" she giggled, clearly pleased with the outcome.
William shook his head and rubbed her head affectionately.
"It’s nice seeing you two so lively this morning."
The voice came from a woman standing nearby, her small store situated just across the road.
William turned toward her with a smile and nodded.
"Hello."
The woman then looked at Nana and warmly asked, "Would you like a slice of fresh bread, dear? I just baked it."
Nana grew a little nervous. She still wasn’t very used to interacting with other people.
But when William gently patted her back, she gathered her courage, stepped forward, and approached the woman.
She slowly approached the woman, who held out a small loaf of bread and said, "Here, take it."
Nana raised both hands and carefully accepted the bread.
She immediately turned to leave, but the moment she noticed William’s raised eyebrow, she realized her mistake and quickly turned back.
Giving the woman a deep bow, she then spun around and hurried back to William’s side.
William let out a quiet sigh at her reluctance to use words before turning to the woman.
"She’s just shy around people. Thank you for the bread."
The woman cupped her cheek and smiled.
"She is very sweet, much like Emma. By the way, is it true that you two are planning to get married in that old church?"
William gave a sheepish smile.
"How do you know? I only spoke to the chief about it last evening."
The woman giggled.
"News travels fast around here. Anyway, are you sure you want to use that church? It’s very old. Most people go to the nearest town when they want better arrangements."
William shook his head and told her, "We don’t want grand celebration. Just a small gathering and a priest."
Emma had never asked for much when it came to their wedding.
She simply wanted to wear the white dress she had been carrying with her for so long, walk down the aisle, and exchange vows with him.
As far as William was concerned, they had already been married for years.
The moment they accepted each other as soulmates, everything else had become little more than formality in his eyes.
Naturally, however, he never once considered sharing that opinion with her and dampening her excitement.
The woman smiled fondly and said, "Then I hope you’ve prepared everything. A wedding is something a woman treasures for the rest of her life, so make it special, alright?"
William nodded.
"I planned to..."
Then he suddenly froze.
His eyes widened as a voice echoed inside his head.
{Will! Come back now! Hurry, hurry!}
It was Emma.
Without a second thought, he scooped Nana into his arms and dashed toward home.
His mind instantly went on high alert.
What enemy could have possibly slipped past his defenses?
Whoever it was, William was prepared to destroy them.
He rushed across the village and reached his house in moments.
Nana looked worried, but she didn’t ask any questions.
With a mental command, William pushed the door open and immediately looked inside.
"Emma?!"
His senses swept through the house.
He couldn’t detect anyone except Emma herself, who was currently running toward him.
William quickly lowered Nana to the ground.
Then he saw her.
Emma was charging straight at him.
Her eyes were glistening with moisture.
Yet her lips...
They were curved into a smile.
She hopped into his arms without warning and before he could ask what happened, she whispered into his ear,
"I missed my period. You are going to be a father!"
In that moment, the greatest telepath of the history...
...found his mind turning numb.
°°°°°°^
A/N:- We are close to conclusion. I know it’s soon, but it is what it is.
Thanks for reading so far, please drop a comment if you have been enjoying the story.
